10.01.12 10.01.12 democracy now! test 10.01.12 10.01.12 >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! we are on the road in richmond, virginia. >> so human rights violations are so egregious, they must be held accountable, rather less of traditional roles of state sovereignty and also regardless of where those egregious violations take place. >> as the supreme court begins it new term, the justices will hear arguments today about

whether corporations can be sued in u.s. courts for human rights abuses abroad. we will look at other hot topics affirmative action, same sex marriage, and voting rights. then, a new law in virginia may force many of the state's abortion clinics to shut down. and we will look and have local residents and virginia are organizing against a push by the nuclear and -- industry to lift the state's 3-year-long ban on uranium mining. >> we have spent 30 years on the fantasy of containment. there is no way to contain toxic or nuclear waste. he can come back to your drawing boards and come up with recommendations. but guess what? the community here and all the

people down there river, all the way to north carolina and virginia beach are going to stop this. >> all that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are on the road in the capital of virginia, richmond. the official u.s. military death toll in afghanistan has passed the 2000 mark. more than 11 years into the war. in the latest attack, the suicide bomber killed 14 people, including three soldiers in the all the people down thereeastern khost r today. on sunday, two americans were killed in yet another shooting carried out by members of the afghan forces. a nato deputy commander announced the attacks. >> according to isaf reporting,

after a short conversation took place, firing occurred which resulted in the fatal wounding of an isaf soldier and the death of a civilian colleague. >> 32 people were killed on sunday in a series of bombings across iraq. bombings 8 shiite neighborhoods and an iraqi police patrol. by crane's highest court has upheld the sentences of nine medics convicted last year for treating demonstrators during anti-kermit protest. the longest sentence went to the former medic at the top hospital who was given five years in prison. the eight others received sentences ranging from one month to three years. the prosecution of the medics and their torture in custody has been widely criticized david they have been free on bail for

one year, but could soon be remanded to prison. in syria, government forces have launched new attacks on the eastern suburbs in the capital of damascus. residents reported heavy shelling in areas overnight. fierce clashes set up a massive fire over the weekend in the city's historic central market. speaking to the pentagon, defense secretary leon panetta said it appears the assad regime could be moving its weapons stockpiles around the country to sit card against attacks. >> there have been, firing occuh resulted in the fatal wounding of an isaf soldier and the death of a civilian colleague. reports, with regard to some of these fights, there has been some movement in order for the syrians to better secure chemicals. while there has been some limited movement, again, the major sites remain in place, remain secure. >> venezuela is less than one

week away from a presidential election. over the weekend, tens of thousands of people turned out four separate rallies led by the rival candidates. tensions escalated on saturday when three supporters of caprille were gunned down. at a rally, hugo chavez condemned the attack and promised an investigation. >> we all have to regret very much the deaths of two people yesterday in a clash over two groups, one in a caravan, the other in the street. two people died. it is very regrettable. i tell all venezuelans, it is not with violence that we face off, is with votes, ideas.

>> the and this prisoner and last western citizen held by the u.s. military in guantanamo bay has been transferred to finish up his sentence in canada. he was 15 years old when u.s. troops imprisoned him for killing a soldier during a 2002 attack on his village in afghanistan. he says military guards beat him and threatened him with rape. after 10 years at guantanamo, he faces up to another six years in prison in canada, but could be eligible for parole as early as next year. on saturday, the canadian public safety minister confirm the transfer. >> early this morning, he was transferred to canadian authorities. i am satisfied the correctional service of canada can administer

sentence which reflects the seriousness of the crimes he committed. any decisions related to his future will be determined by an independent parole board of canada in accordance with canadian law. >> he was the first person since world war ii to be prosecuted in a war crimes tribunal for acts allegedly committed as a juvenile. a pennsylvania judge has granted a stay of execution to a death row prisoner convicted of murdering his sexual abuser. terrance williams was scheduled to be executed on wednesday. norwood had sexually abused williams over a number of years, up until the night when williams took revenge, ending norwood's's life. on friday, a state court ordered

the new sentencing hearing over evidence prosecutors had withheld evidence of norwood's molestation of williams and other minors. williams was convicted on the contention that he had tried to rob norwood before the murder, not seeking revenge for sexual abuse. the department of homeland security has announced plans to grant stays of deportation to undocumented immigrants with same-sex partners. it would mark the first time same-sex couples would be entitled to relief under federal immigration policy. the change, however, will not alter existing rules barring foreigners or same-sex couples to apply for a green cards or citizenship. jerry brown has signed into law a bill involving conversion therapy.

the law bars anyone under 13 from under new measures to change their sexual orientation. meanwhile, brown has issued mixed decisions on bills protecting the rights of undocumented immigrants. on sunday, he vetoed a measure dubbed the anti-arizona bill to protect some individuals. the legislation called for shielding undocumented immigrants from status checks and the mortician, unless they were charged or convicted of serious crimes. he rejected the measure because it said it could lead to further problems. in a victory for immigration rights, brown signed into law a measure authorizing drivers' licenses for undocumented immigrants who qualify for the federal deferred action program. president obama and republican

rival mitt romney are preparing for their first presidential debate with just over one month before the november election. they will square off in their first of three debates went in night in denver. speaking to supporters in nevada, obama said he -- expected a serious discussion. >> what i am most concerned about is having a serious discussion about what we need to do to keep the country growing and to restore security for hard-working americans. that is what people will be listening for, that is the debate you deserve. because in the coming weeks, you will have a big choice to make, nev., and it is not just a choice between two candidates or political parties. it is a choice between two different paths for the country. >> tune in on wednesday when we host a special expanded presidential debate, pausing

after the questions to obama and romney, to include equal time responses from dale stein and rocky anderson. that will be wednesday night. in the financial giant bank of america has announced a $2.43 billion settlement in connection with its misleading of investors while acquiring merrill lynch. executives allegedly concealed heavy losses at merrill lynch when it purchased the company for $50 billion in 2008. while shareholders had promising estimates, the bank actually require a bailout. it stands to likely undermine a case brought to light buying in

new york attorney general's offices, as prosecutors cannot recover losses for shareholders once they settle. and abortion rights group has announced plans to reopen the wichita, kan. women's health clinic of the slain doctor and women's advocate george tiller. tiller was shot dead by anti- choice extremists as he attended church services in 2009. his clinic remained closed since then. since then, and women's trust has purchased the clinic and will reopen the clinic offering abortion and other services. the new clinic will operate under stricter services -- rules. those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are continuing our silence majority 100-city tour. we are broadcasting from

richmond, virginia. we begin with the u.s. supreme court, which opens its 2012-13 term today. the last session was to find by a single case, the affordable care act. president obama's signature bill cleared the way for the largest revamp of america's healthcare system since the 1960's. in the near term, the court is expected to hear cases on a number of highly contentious issues, ranging from affirmative action and same-sex marriage, to corporate accountability for international human rights violations, and phone rights. john roberts cast the final vote for the health care act, raising questions about whether the conservative justice will continue to ally himself with more liberal elements of the bench. oral arguments today will be the first public session since the justices delivered the healthcare ruling in june.

to talk about the significance of the case before the court, we are joined by the presidents f for alliance for justice. talk about the last decision, the last time the justices were together, what does it mean, it significant? particularly, justice roberts' vote? >> good morning. it is a tree to be here. i am one of your most loyal fans. last year, we had a blockbuster case with the court deciding the constitutionality of president obama's health care law. to many, the decision was a surprise. the chief justice had a majority to basically find the act constitutional under the government cost taxing powers.

many were surprised, many expected the court to rule health care unconstitutional. so i think to most of us it was gratifying position, but at the same time, there were elements that more recent, particularly, language in the opinion that essentially said this chief justice, along with a majority, would have found the act unconstitutional under the commerce clause. why that is important is because so much of the foundation of progressive reform in this country, going back to the new deal, is based on the commerce clause. so there are ominous signs for the future, and we have no idea what will happen, but obviously, this was a very smart move by the chief justice.

he essentially took an issue of the supreme court out of the election. as many have said, he preserved his judicial legacy on that court. >> let's turn to that case, that the supreme court heard in its last session. early this year, upholding the affordable care act. the president addressed the nation shortly after. said, he preserved his judicial legacy on that court. >> the supreme court upheld the constitutionality of affordable care act. in doing so, they reaffirmed a fundamental principle, that here in america, in the wealthiest nation on earth, no illness or accident should lead to any families controlling. i know there will be discussion today about the politics of all this, about who won and who lost, that is how these tech things tend to be viewed in washington. but that discussion completely

misses the point. whatever the politics, today's decision was a victory for people all over the country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and supreme court's decision to uphold it. >> your response? >> certainly, good reason to be pleased with the decision, as were americans brought the country, but it is interesting, ever since that decision was released, there has been a hush around the country. even though we have this election coming up in one month , even though this election could tip the balance one way or the other on the supreme court, even though so many decisions are 5-4, with one change and a

justice making the difference, we have heard almost nothing about this court over the past several months. with today, the first monday of october, with the publication of "the nation" magazine in title the 1% court, it is our hope that the candidates and country focus some of the discussion and debate on the critical importance of the supreme court. as we know, in the affordable care act case, this court, and lower courts, make decisions that affect every aspect of our lives from the air we breathe, the water we drink, protections in our workplace. we look forward to a very robust discussion about the supreme

court and its role in american society. >> we will be joined by the center of constitutional rights in a little bit to talk about the first case that they will take on, which is about shall and nigeria. i want to ask you about other cases. talk about these cases that are before the supreme court. same-sex marriage, affirmative- action. the major cases -- can find thanks -- campaign finance as well. >> for the most part, campaign finance, litigation, is being held on the side. until we have a change in the composition of the court, citizens united will continue to be the law of the land, but going to this term, there is a

huge consideration of civil rights in this country, and we have some blockbuster cases being heard by the supreme court. one of those cases involves a permanent action. abigail fisher applied to the diversity of texas and was denied admission. the university has a policy of along the top 10% of the academic performance to be automatically eligible to go into the class. for the percentage of the remainder, race is one of the criteria. fisher is suing because she was denied admission. that case will decide the future of racial preferences in this country. that is one of the leading cases being heard. the voting rights, a challenge to the voting rights act. this is our most critically

important civil-rights statute ever enacted in this country. the court may accept a challenge to this statute, enacted in law in 1965, renewed as recently as 2006, by an overwhelming number of democratic and republican members of congress. there are some who basically want to gut the voting rights act. and then finally, the other set of huge cases involve cave rights -- gay rights, a challenge to the defense of marriage statutes, which essentially bars the federal government from providing federal benefits to same-sex married couples who were married

in those states which permit it. there could also be a challenge to the proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage, a case that was a decision widely heralded as a great decision out of the ninth circuit. that decision overturned a ban on same-sex marriage. so we have affirmativethere coue to the proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage action, a challenge to the voting rights, and a challenge to really

bad laws on gay and lesbian marriage. >> a law that legalized wiretapping by the national security agency will be argued before the supreme court. do you know this case? >> i do. as with so many of these other cases, i must say, what we will be looking at are two justices on the court, chief justice john roberts and justice antonin kennedy, who seems to be the guy that switches positions every once in awhile. i do not think that many of us are particularly optimistic about the challenge to the national wiretap law. as we know, this administration has defended some such laws, ant remains to be seen what happens. but going back to this term, the spotlight will be on the critically important civil- rights cases. the jury is out as to how they will be decided. >> finally, the right-wing shift of the court, and when a romney presidency would mean, and what a second term for president

obama would mean, in terms of if one of the justices steps down. >> it is hard to talk about that. we do not wish bill on any of them, but i think if romney is elected president, he has the potential, given that there are urt, hetes on the cor certainly has the ability to cement the ultraconservative old in this court will into the next generation. if ruth bader ginsburg steps down, and she's has said that she will step down at some point, romney could certainly cement that shift for generations and generations. if obama is reelected and again,

if ginsburg steps down, a likely, he would replace her with another woman, another moderate to liberal justice. i think we would see things pretty much stayed the way they have been over the past several years. this election has huge implications for the future of this country. i think a republican presidency could certainly alter the shift, cement it well into a right-leaning direction, for many years to come. >> thank you for being with us, president of alliance for justice. as we are broadcasting from richmond, va., we learn how women's health clinics could be

shut down in virginia if a rule that was just implemented is allowed to stand. stay with us. [♪]

>> "sinnerman" by nina simone. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are in richmond, va., continuing our thicoverage of te supreme court. the case centers around a lawsuit that accuses the oil giant shell's their company

royal dutch shell in the comparison murder of nigerian activists. nine activists, including ken saro-wiwa, were executed by the nigerian government. the families of seven of the nigerians killed are seeking to hold shell liable under a 1789 law. shell agreed to pay $15.5 million. some legal analysts are comparing this case to the landmark campaign finance ruling in citizens united in 2010. the court is now being asked to decide if corporations have the same responsibilities as individuals for violating human

rights internationally. to find out more about the implications of this, we are joined by the legal director of the center for constitutional rights, the hair as me. talk about the case. talk about what happened in the early 1990's in nigeria. >> good to be here. royal dutch petroleum, shell, long had a presence in nigeria and ever cash and was exploiting natural resources there for profit. in the 1990's, and in one grass- roots movement, particularly among the ogoni tribe, sought to over their's control natural resources. in response, shell, with

collaboration from the government, pressed those protesters and engaged with the nigerian government in torture, extrajudicial killings, and a range of other human rights abuses, it in order for the joint enterprise between the nine jiggering government, shell corporation could proceed. >> i wanted to ask you what the law is that this is based on? >> this loss is based on a statute called the alien tour statute, which was passed by the very first congress in 1789, which permits non-citizens to sue in u.s. courts for serious international law violations. the statute actually remained dormant for nearly 200 years,

until the lawyers for the center of constitutional rights, in the mid 1970's, under it did when researching possible responses to the maya lin massacre. in the 1970's, a woman track down the police chief who had brutally tortured and killed her beloved 17-year-old brother while he was in peril why, simply because he was the son of the general's political opponents appeared on her behalf, the center for constitutional rights sued this police chief in the united states, and that produced a ruling in the court of appeals here in new york, which enshrined in the alien tour statute in u.s. law and made clear, until the decision of the supreme court, that foreigners

could sue in u.s. courts for the most egregious human rights violations. >> i want to turn to ken saro- wiwa. in 2009, shell reached a settlement with the family for $15 million. the trial look at human rights violations. he was the founding member and president of the movement for the survival of the ago the people -- ogoni people. >> people have been cheated through laws, through political marginal station. they have driven people to death.

i do not want any blood spilt, not of an ogoni man, not of strangers. we are going to demand our rights peacefully, non violently, and we shall win. >> during ken's final visit to the united states, he came on our show on wbai in new york. diskless just before he returned to nigeria, was arrested, tried, and then executed. this is what ken saro-wiwa told us. >> shell does not want to negotiate with the ogoni people. each time they have come under pressure with the local people. they have always wanted to run to the nigerian government and to say to them, oil is 90% of the foreign exchange.

if something happens, the economy will be destroyed, so you have to deal with the troublemakers. most times, the government will oblige. when these communities protest and say look at the amount of violence being used against us, we are protesting peacefully. then the government can say there is no way we can determine how much violence we use against the people. so then the local communities have no leverage with the oil companies at all. >> that was ken saro-wiwa. he was executed in 2010 by the nigerian regime. finally, the hair as me -- baher

azmy, why is the court hearing this again? it is in that unusual? >> the court is asking two questions in the case, the first is, corporations, because of their form, are exempt from otherwise binding international human rights obligations. they are also asking an equally broad question, whether or not this statute could apply to a human rights a violation that occurred outside of the united states, as in nigeria. the ominous precedent, of course, is citizens united, where the court reset certain questions and expanded the scope of corporate power, more than had been initially contemplated.

so you have this remarkable irony that you had already pointed out, the court in citizens united suggested that corporations have first amendment rights, but here, the court may carve out an exemption from responsibilities from corporate personhood. that is a shocking development, and that could only happen in a core that seems, as it is, so obsessed with corporate power. >> thank you for being with us, legal director for the center for constitutional rights. we will follow the case closely. you can also go to our website democracynow.org to seize the documentary that we did in nigeria after ken saro-wiwa was executed. the film is called "drilling and

killing: shell's oil dictatorship." we're on the road in richmond, region yet as part of our collection 2012 tour. we turn now to a new law that could force many virginia abortion clinics to shut down. passed last month after a long fight against the so-called providers, it would require clinics to provide the same building standards as hospitals. this includes specific requirements for the with of hallways and doorways the size of operating rooms, the number of parking spots, even the size of the janitor's closets and the types of water fountains. critics note other outpatient clinics, such as those that

perform plastic surgery, are not subject to the same requirements. they say it is a thinly veiled law to crack down on abortion clinics. all of this follows va's passage of a lot in march that forces women seeking abortions to have an ultrasound at least 24 hours beforehand. the original version of law included a provision that mandated the insertion of a vaginal probe to conduct the ultrasound, but this was removed after critics dubbed it a form of state rape. now ken cuccinelli has announced his plan to run for governor next year. his efforts launched a website called coochwatch.com. we are now joined by one of the directors of the organization.

shelley abrams, welcome to the show. good to be here in richmond. explain what has taken place in the last few weeks. >> basically, the attorney general has strong armed the port of help, who was about to approve regulations that could possibly exempt existing clinics, like mine, who have been safely performing abortions, exempt us from having to adhere to our detection long guidelines that are essentially inserted to shut us down, they are so costly and unnecessary. ken cuccinelli, our attorney general, threatened the board a couple of days before the vote, if they were to insert this grandfather clause that would allow was to continue without the architectural guidelines, that he would potentially refused to represent them in any future legal cases that they might have related to being on the board.

this did, in fact, work. the board did not entered a grandfather clause. clinics are now required in two years to completely change our physical facilities, if we can afford to. >> and you have to change them out? >> we have to knock down walls, insert very expensive sinks in certain locations, things that are really unnecessary, considering how long we have been providing safe abortion access and virginia. -- in virginia. >> i wanted to play a comment from ken cuccinelli, in which he defended the trap laws. >> eight years ago, in virginia, in 1984, the national organization for women and the

virginia society for human life held a joint press conference. the only time that has ever happened in virginia. they held it because the same regulation, or something like it that will now be put on clinics, or removed. their basic complaint was if you take away these basic health standards, women will be treated terribly in these clinics. sure enough, that came to be the place -- the case in some places. >> your response? >> the regulations surrounding abortion clinics that were passed last year had absolutely no precipitating events. they came out of nowhere. abortion had been safely being provided in virginia, since roe v wade.

the idea that this is about women's safety is a farce. ken cuccinelli has stated he wants to see abortion basically disappear in virginia. he is very up front about that, and i appreciate it, i just which the would stop couching his approval for regulations under the guise of caring about women, because he does not care about women. >> you were arrested in this building? >> i was arrested around the corner on the capitol steps. >> explain what happened and when that was. >> it was march, and a group was holding a wonderful rally. at the end, we all marched up to our capitol steps, stood up, and wanted our voices to be heard. we were against the national office down bill, against the regulations against the abortion facilities. we sat down on the steps and were promptly arrested.

standlain the governor's on this. >> again, the governor bob mcdonnell is caring -- contending that he cares about the women of virginia. he has said and the ultrasound bill was to inform women. clearly, he has never been pregnant, never been in the position that a lot of women are. when we find that we are pregnant and maybe do not want to be because we are extremely informed and we spend a lot of time considering our decisions. >> clearly, this has influenced national electorate politics. bob macdonald was one of the leading contenders to be the running mate of mitt romney. he was the one that introduced mitt romney in our fault.

because of this ultrasound issue, where it became so controversial run the country, where he was pushing for this, it looks like mitt romney had stepped back. >> i think what you saw in virginia were people standing up to their government. it was a beautiful grass roots movement where people came from across the state and stood on our capitol grounds multiple times, stood up to our government and said, you might be in power, but we are not going to take this anymore. that is why we created coochwatch.com, to let them know that you may be in power now, but the people watching you -- and we are not going to stand for this kind of tyranny. >> these kinds of traffic laws that are being used in virginia, put them in a national perspective. >> i have been told by legal

experts, they are the worst in the entire country. the building requirements are the newest, they are treated for new buildings, not existing buildings. they are the strictest in the country. >> the effect on women, with women not seeking reproductive services? >> we have been providing safe abortion care for many years in virginia. but these new guidelines are going to cost so much money -- i have a friend across the state that have stated to me in private that they are not going to be able to stay open. you are going to see access in virginia tremendously reduced over the next two years if these are allowed to stand. >> the architecture 1 requirements, it is this a new

approach in other parts of the country as well? >> certainly, it is a new approach. britain has taken one of the strongest approaches, and will be an example for others. >> will receive the same thing with plaster to read clinics as well? you have the party of decreased regulation pushing for massive regulation. >> certainly, absolutely not. all the people that have lobbied for ease regulations against us have been asked if they plan to lobby for plastic surgeons, doctors' offices like that. they say, no, there focuses solely on abortion. so this is a clear tactic, and it is spreading like wildfire across the country. >> and the new focus on requirement? >> our facilities are seeing fewer people come in on time, later in the pregnancy, because the two visits are very

daunting. >> thank you for being with us, as you heard this news about the wichita clinic being reopened, the clinic of george tiller, who was gunned down by an anti- choice extremist in church. that marked my heart, because wichita has been without access for many years now. >> thank you for being with us shelley adams. we are broadcasting from the studios of wcbe. we will be back in a second. [♪]

>> "la femme fetal" by digable planets. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we stay in virginia, as we turn into a major effort underway to lift the state's three-decade long ban on uranium mining. the ban was put in place after tests showed iranian deposits in the small town of chatham in the southern part of the state could contain we turn into a major 100 million poundsf the radioactive mineral used to supply nuclear power plants. studies also showed mining the site would generate about 29 tons of waste, which could endanger life in the region for centuries. while the ban went unchallenged, until recently, when the cost of uranium began to rise. now the company that owns the deposit wants to develop it. after a failed effort to lift

the ban, va. iranian inc. spent at least $300,000 lobbying lawmakers as the state containers -- considers the band again. advocates have also begun to fund tv ads like this one. >> of the were you go there are mills where people used to work. developing our own energy resources could create hundreds of jobs on the south side. we have the skills, workers. all we need is a chance to work. the uranium mining is done safely around the world. if it can be done safely in virginia, i am for it. >> many virginia residents have expressed concern about the dangers uranium mining poses to drinking water, air quality, fishing, and tourism. they say allowing mining of one of the uranium deposit already identified open the door for

exploration of other sites across the state. now almost all major cities have passed resolutions opposing lifting the ban. we are joined by the former director of the virginia department of the garments of quality robert burnley. he is now an environmental consultant. he is also an advisor to the alliance for progress in southern virginia. for viewers and listeners around the country and world, talk about the significance of what you're dealing with here in virginia. >> what is going on is an experiment. uranium has never been mined ore processed in this part of the country before. it has always been done in the southwestern part of the country, where it does not rain and there are no people. >> fewer people. >> fewer people.

in virginia, the opposite is true. we get over 40 inches of rain, we are subject to severe weather events, hurricanes are a common -- we have tornadoes on a regular basis. we experienced a lull 6 earthquake last year for the first time in a long time. we were told in the past virginia did not have earthquakes.

this had never been done in that type of environment before, in a web environment. there are a lot of people that depend on water for drinking and other uses. >> why are you concerned and what is va rate -- uranium, what is this company? >> this company was founded by the owner of this uranium deposit in pennsylvania county. there has been some corporate structure changes recently -- i cannot really describe exactly everything that has been going on. virginia uranium is mostly owned by canadian companies that have some familiarity with uranium processing and mining. no one in virginia does because it has never been done before. >> you're concerned exactly, the effect that it would have? >> what would happen, if uranium is mined, especially processed in virginia, there is a huge amount of waste generated. when the uranium yellowcake is taken and marketed, at 85% of their real activity remains in the waste products. those products are just buried in facilities very much like the one that we story municipal

solid waste, hole in the ground, plastic liner, filling it up with this toxic waste, covering it over for thousands of years and hope nothing happens. this had never been done in that type of environment before, in a web environment. there are a lot of people that depend on water for drinking and other uses. >> why are you concerned and what is va rate -- uranium, what is this company? >> this company was founded by the owner of this uranium deposit in pennsylvania county. there has been some corporate structure changes recently -- i cannot really describe exactly everything that has been going on. virginia uranium iswe have a loe weather in virginia. to think that these facilities would withstand those types of stresses is just ludicrous. >> i wanted to play a comment from the co-founder of greenpeace who supports lifting the ban on uranium mining. in recent years, they have promoted the expansion of nuclear power. he spoke in 2004, speaking about uranium mining. >> so long as it adopts the best environmental practices including water management, waste management, and ecological

restoration. this include uranium mining operations around the world. we have seen the changes that have occurred with the concept of sustainable to element and ecological restoration over the past 30 years. i have been in the normal to movement for 40 years. strides have been made in all aspects. >> i want to also play a comment by reading the beach department of utilities director tom leahy, who argues against lifting the uranium moratorium. >> our worry is a catastrophic storm. the location of this mine or other future possible mines could possibly affect six

locations. it is susceptible to precipitation and other events, such as hurricanes. 30 inches of rain in six hours. there have been two storm like this in the past four years in virginia, basically, in a straight line, in the path of this proposed mine. we are looking at an unlikely scenario, but there is probability and consequence. >> your final comments? the uranium mining has become much more advanced in the last 30 years, according to his comments, since the moratorium was imposed. >> the fact is, this has never been done in a positive water

balance. , in a with environment. this is an experiment that we do not know how to manage the facility, manage the waist. >> the former director of the virginia department of the department of the environment. that doesn't for our broadcast as we continue our 100-city tour. tune in on wednesday night for special coverage of the first presidential debate. president obama and presidential nominee mitt romney square off. democracy now! will be broadcasting live from denver with a special expanded presidential debate. we will air the debate, pausing after the questions and answers from the candidates, to include responses from our live guests in denver.

gil stein of the green party and rocky anderson of the justice party. you can watch our broadcast in person wednesday night in denver. that is all coming up on wednesday night. we will begin our broadcast at 8:30 p.m. eastern time. we will be at the central presbyterian church on sherman street in denver. the election 2012 silent majority tour continues tonight and virginia tech. tuesday night i will be in boulder, colorado. thursday night, colorado springs. and then over the weekend, we continue in crested butte, telluride, and during go. -- durango. "la femme fetal" by digable planets. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who

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